Martial God Temple to the Museum of Taiwan Literature, Tainan: free self-guided walking tour
Quick answer. A free self-guided walking tour from the State Temple of the Martial God to the Museum of Taiwan Literature in Tainan: 4 stops, about 1.2 km, about 15 minutes of walking plus about 25 minutes of listening. Start at the State Temple of the Martial God, the only Guan Di temple granted official rites under the Qing, with five kinds of roofs on one skyline. Across the street, the curved roofs of Chihkan Tower stand on the Dutch Fort Provintia of 1653. Walk south to the Koxinga Ancestral Shrine, the family shrine Zheng Jing built for his father in 1663, and finish at the 1916 prefectural hall that became the National Museum of Taiwan Literature.
- Stops:
- 4
- Distance:
- about 1.2 km
- Walking:
- about 15 min
- Listening:
- about 25 min
Two ways to do this walk
Tainan with Mappu
Walk Mode, in the free Mappu app
It knows where you are, tells you about everything you pass between the stops, answers your questions and keeps you on the route. Your phone stays in your pocket.
A 2-hour live walk, €4.99.
50 credits from the Starter pack. One-time purchase, no subscription.
Self-guided audio walk. No guide accompanies you. Not affiliated with the sites.
Free: the audio guides
Listen to each stop’s audio guide in your browser and find your own way between the stops.
Walking directions in Google MapsMartial God Temple to the Museum of Taiwan Literature, Tainan: how long does the walk take?
About 40 minutes in all: about 15 minutes on foot over about 1.2 km, plus about 25 minutes of audio at the 4 stops. Time inside the sites is extra.
Martial God Temple to the Museum of Taiwan Literature, Tainan: in what order should you visit the stops?
Follow the stops in this order: State Temple of the Martial God, Fort Provintia, Koxinga Ancestral Shrine, and National Museum of Taiwan Literature. The longest stretch between two stops is about 0.7 km, about 9 min on foot.
Route and map
Indicative route. While you walk, watch where you're going, mind the traffic and follow local signs and rules. The map is an aid, not a safety guide. Terms
Follow Mappu’s map: the route runs along the streets from stop to stop, and the stories keep playing as you walk.
To get to the first stop, or if you’re far from the route, Google Maps has walking directions through every stop.
Stop 1
The only Guan Di temple granted official rites under the Qing: its founding date is lost, it was rebuilt in 1690, and its five kinds of roofs step up and down to mark each hall’s rank.
about 6 min of audio
Next stop: Fort Provintia · about 0.2 km, about 3 min on foot
Stop 2
The Dutch fort of 1653–1655, taken by Koxinga in 1661: the curved roofs of Chihkan Tower are a Sea God temple and a literary pavilion raised on its ruins, with a Dutch-era well between them.
about 6 min of audio
Next stop: Koxinga Ancestral Shrine · about 0.7 km, about 9 min on foot
Stop 3
The family shrine Zheng Jing built in 1663 to honour his father Koxinga: the old well by the gate is all that remains of the first shrine, and the hall keeps each generation’s spirit tablets.
about 6 min of audio
Next stop: National Museum of Taiwan Literature · about 0.3 km, about 4 min on foot
Stop 4
Built in 1916 as the Tainan Prefectural Hall to Moriyama Matsunosuke’s design, with two round towers and a Mansard roof lost in the war, it opened in 2003 as Taiwan’s first national literature museum.
about 6 min of audio
The stop stories are AI-generated audio guides and can contain mistakes. Check opening hours and tickets on the official sites.
Planning a trip to Tainan?
Get your plan
Mappu sketches your days free in the chat, no account needed. Then take the full plan with you:
- Weekend trip, €9.99: Your day-by-day plan plus 2 live walks
- Save your trip’s free guides on your phone in the Mappu app: they play with no signal
Before you go
- Check opening hours, tickets and access on each site’s official page before you go.
- Distances and times are estimates: the walking route between stops, from OpenStreetMap, at 4.5 km/h. Your route on the street may differ.
More walking tours in Tainan
Confucian Temple to the Temple of the Five Concubines, Tainan
5 stops · about 2.1 km · about 30 min on foot · about 32 min of audioTainan Confucian Temple → Tainan Art Museum → Koxinga Shrine → Great South Gate → Temple of the Five ConcubinesFree audio at every stop, or walk it with MappuSee the routeConfucian Temple to the Flowers Night Market, Tainan
4 stops · about 3.8 km · about 50 min on foot · about 23 min of audioTainan Confucian Temple → Tang Te-chang Memorial Park → Duiyue Gate → Tainan Flowers Night MarketFree audio at every stop, or walk it with MappuSee the route
Plan more days in Tainan
These day-by-day Mappu itineraries include Tainan. The day links open the days that visit stops on this walk.
Route checked by Mappu on November 1, 2026. Stop descriptions come from each place’s published Mappu audio guide. Mappu is a Fenutech product.